Quilted fabric and method of making the same



Aug. 21, 1951 G. CORALLO 2,564,959

QUILTED FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Oct. 17, 1949 6:42r4/va Cole/41 10 INVENTOR.

Jrroemil Patented Aug. 21,1951

s P T N OFFICE QUILTED FABRIC AND METHOD oF MAKING THE sAME Gaetano Corallo, Los Angeles, Calif; Application October 17, 1949, Serial No. 121,856

7 Claims. (ore- 278) This invention has for its primary object the provision of a novel and highly ornamental quilted fabric and an efficient method of making the same, wherein the fabric has a pronounced third dimensional effect and an appealing softness and distinctiveness W of appearance, and higher and softer raisedportions than heretofore provided in quilted fabrics.

Heretofore the raised portions of quilted fabrics have been produced at the time of quilting by means of patterned stitching which causes the cotton body to become considerably compressed and thus limits the height of the raised portions to an extent which is considerably less than the original thickness of the cotton batting. Moreover, the raised portions are tightly drawn against the compressed batting which precludes a desired softness of the fabric.

In accordance with the present invention, the fabric to be quilted is preformed with raised portions which, in most instances, are of such height that when stitching around the outlines thereof in the quilting operation, the cotton batting opposed thereto will not be appreciably compressed and the raised portions will be in light and nontensioned contact with the cotton batting and in some instances free from contact therewith, in the finished product. Manifestly, this produces greater height and a consequent third dimensional effect of the raised portions as well as a pronounced softness, due particularly to the fact that the cotton beneath the raised portions is not appreciably compressed, that is, compressed anywhere near the extent under quilting methods heretofore known.

One method according to this invention, of preforming puffed or raised portions in the fabric to be'quilted, consists in stitching the fabric in any design desired or along the outlines of designs woven or printed or otherwise caused to appear on the fabric, with an elastic thread, in such manner, that the fabric will be gathered and puffed up or raised and will so remain after the fabric is placed on the cotton batting and stitched thereto to complete the quilting operation.

In completing my method the fabric is stitched to the cotton batting and the usual cloth backing sheet for the batting, with non-elastic thread in any suitable quilting pattern and so that the stitching substantially follows the outlines of the 'pre-raised portions of the fabric, or in other words substantially follows the pattern of the elastic thread stitching. However, at this point it should be noted that artistic and realistic effects may be had in not stitching or following all of the lines of elastic stitching with the nonelastic thread, as the elastic stitching not followed or stitched over-with the non-elastic thread will permit of yielding and stretching and produce differential heights of portions adjacent thereto, especially in flower and other designs where the elastic stitching extends inwardly from stitching bordering the raised design, as in defining raised petals, leaves, etc.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with such other objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts and in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a piece of fabric as preformed with a raised design according to the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, I

Fig. ,3 is a top plan view of a finished piece of quilted fabric embodying the present invention,

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of a quilted fabric as made under the ordinary quilting method, 7

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a modified form of a quilted fabric embodying the present invention.

In producing a quilted fabric according to my invention, a piece of fabric A to be quilted, is treated so that it is preformed with raised portions B in any suitable design and which remain in their original puffed-up or raised formation before and after the quilting of the fabric.

One method of preforming the raised or puffed updesigns B consists in stitching the outlines of the desired designs with an elastic thread. C (indicated by the diagonally dashed black lines), in such manner the fabric will be gathered and puckered up in raised formation due to the contracting action of the elastic stitching. The width or diameter or shape of the fabric portions between or bordered by the elastic stitching C determines the height of the raised portions B, the greater the'width or diameter, the higher the raised portions.

'Plain fabric with designs drawn on it or fabric with printed or woven designs may be treated as above noted to preform and raise the designs as desired.

After the raised portions or designs B as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 have been formed, the fabric A is placed on a piece D of cotton batting or similar material and stitched thereto as at E and to a cloth backing piece F, with non-elastic thread G (indicated by the lighter double dashed lines), so as to quilt the non-raised portions as at H in any desired pattern of stitching. This nonelastic stitching G is effected so as to substan-l tially follow the preformation stitching C of 3 elastic thread, although as shown in Fig. 6, the non-elastic stitching may not strictly follow all of the elastic stitching C. In all other respects the fabric shown in Fig. 6 is made in the same way as that shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive.

It should be noted that under my method the quilting is not appreciably compressed due to the preformed raised portions, which in some instances, as seen in Fig. 4, do not even touch the quilting and, where they do touch, the contact is so lig t that the batting is not appreciably com: pressed. As a result, the raised portions are exceptionally soft and so remain. 'In cases where the permanent and non-elastic stitching does not follow the elastic stitching variational effects are produced and greater flexibility and softness are achieved.

Due to the fact that the raised portions are preformed in the fabric so as to remain raised, it is apparent the fabric could be stitched in the manner hereinbefore noted to backing sheets other than batting, for example, paper, canvas or like flexible sheet material, which lacksthe body and thickness and softness of cotton or other batting,

to provide in the finished product, an embossed n or quilted effect according to the present invention. If it is desired to partially puff out the raised portions in a finished product of this type as made without the cotton batting or the like, an expedient often used in ordinary quilting methods may be followed, namely, the blowing under air pressure into the raised portions of cotton yarn. This is done with a hollow needle through which the yarn is forced onto the hollow spaces or raised portions in a manner well known in the quilting art. As the two last described products are produced under the same methods'as to preforming the fabric and then stitching the preformed fabric to a backing orbody sheet it is not considered necessary to illustratethe same in the accompanying drawing.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention, I do not limit myself to the exact details of construction, set forth, and the invention embraces such changes, modifications and equivalents of the parts and their formation and arrangement as come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

The method of making a quilted fabric,

which consists in stitching a piece of fabric with an elastic thread, preliminary to the quilting thereof, in such manner that the portion of the fabric bounded by the stitching will be gathered and raised above the plane of the remainder of A the fabric, then placing the preformed fabric on apiece of cotton batting or the like superimposed ona cloth backing sheet and stitching the nonraised portion of the fabric thereto with nonelastic thread in any desired quilting pattern and so that the non-plastic stitching substantially follows at least portions of the lines of elastic thread stitching.

2. The method of making a quilted pattern which consists in treating a piece of fabric preliminary to the quilting thereof so as to form a permanently raised portion, placing the fabric on a piece of cotton batting or the like superimposed on a cloth backing sheet with the concave side of the raised portion thereof op qsed to the cotton batting and then stitching the non-raised portion of the fabric to the batting and backing sheet in any desired quilting pattern and so that the stitching substantially follows the border of the raised portion.

3. The method of making a quilted fabric which consists in preforming a piece of fabric before the quilting thereof so that the same is formed with a plurality of portions permanently raised above the plane of the remainder of the fabric, then placing the fabric with the concave sides of the raised portions downmost on a piece of cotton batting or the like superimposed on a cloth backing sheet, and then stitching the non-raised portion of the fabric to the batting and backing sheet in any desired quilting pattern, with some of the lines of quilting stitching substantially following the outlines of the raised portions of the fabric.

4. In a quilted fabric a piece of fabric having a preformed portion which is raised above the plane of the remainder thereof, a piece of cotton batting on which the non-raised portion of the fabric is quilted with stitching such that part of the raised portion of the fabric is spaced from contact with the cotton batting which lies beheath it, and a cloth backing piece overlying said piece of cotton batting and secured thereto by said stitching.

The method of making a quilted fabric which consists in preforming a piece of fabric preliminary to quilting thereof so that portions thereof will be permanently puffed upwardly to a r eigtent such that when the fabric is quilted to a piece of cottonbatting the puffed portions of the fabric wili be in non-tensioned contact with the cettqrr battiilg opposed thereto, placing the fabric on a piece of cotton batting superimposed on a cloth backing sheet and stitching it thereto in any desired quilting pattern which will exclude the upwardly puffed portions of the fabric and leaves the major part of the puffed portions in a nonein ressin f withthe a 6. The method of making-a decorative fabric ing a deeorative fabric face sheet and a back ng sheet, which consists in stitching the face sheetwith an elastic thread in such manner that he hrea will. qoi tr i'and cause portions of the fabric to become puffed up and raised above the remainder of the fabric, and then stitching the non-raised portion of the face sheet to the besliil sh et. i h neest c thread so that eine he e Qt n nr i c Stitching sta tially f.ol l ow the lines of elastic thread stitchmg.

'7. A deccrative fabric, comprising a face sheet of fabrichaving pre-forrned raised decorative pori e e ned b titchin Q1 elastic thread and a backing sheet to which the face sheet is stitched with a non-eiastic thread, with some of the nonel astiestitching substantially following the lines Q'i ela i t ead stitch n sa a in sheet egmp'r s ne. a l th. ack n ece a a layer Q wh n b as POPQSQd ther qn eucl r a With f ettin v bu tin th pQr Q of the face sheet defined by the elastic thread stitching.

GAETANO CORALLO- BEE BENC .11

The following, references are of record in the fileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Nu e fl i in D JQOMQQ Ths mp ri Nov- 1911 BE GN; P T NTS Number Country Date 479,194 Great Britain Feb. 1, 1938 

